First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. 1 Timothy 1.1, 2
The “doctrine” of the separation of Church and State has been wielded by the enemies of the faith to achieve laws which have the effect of “roping off” large sectors of society against the preaching of the Gospel or the input of Christian teaching into public life.
The public schools and the public square have been all but cut off from the input of Biblical thinking. Christians may teach and write and preach all they like about the Scriptures. But they may not do so wherever they like. Some constraints against preaching are reasonable, of course. People who have paid money to hear a concert should not expect to have their program interrupted by a Gospel harangue. Owners of businesses certainly have a right to determine what kind of behavior they will tolerate on the sidewalks and in the parking lots and workspaces of their establishments, and they may exclude any form of solicitation or conversation which they find disagreeable to their purposes or interests.
But these are matters of personal or corporate policy, not public policy. It is in the interest of any society for as many of its members as possible to know the Lord Jesus and to learn His Word and walk in His ways. Government must protect the right of Christians to gather for worship and other activities. It must also protect the right of believers to talk about their faith with as much zeal as one might discuss a favorite team or a new restaurant, and that with respect to matters of public policy as well.
When public policy begins to encroach on the Christian’s freedom and duty to proclaim the Good News, or to bring the benefits of the Gospel to the community, the believer must continue his mission nonetheless, and be ready to bear whatever punishments the State may choose to inflict.
Christians do not seek suffering, but they must not shun it, particularly when by their suffering they are able to augur for public policies more in line with the centrality of the Gospel for the wellbeing of humankind.
No government can provide the protections, security, and environment for human dignity and flourishing that all members of society need apart from a welcoming disposition and hospitable setting for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is the Christian’s duty, working through the means of the Gospel and the opportunities for public-policy-making, to help to ensure that such a society continues to exist in our day and beyond.
T. M. Moore
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